Penny Mohr, MS

Phone: 301.656.7401
Fax: 301.654.0629
E-mail: pmohr@projhope.org

Walsh Center (formerly Project Hope, now NORC)
7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 600
Bethesda, MD 20814

Completed Projects

Comparison of Coding and Billing Practices Among Selected Small Rural and Urban Hospital Outpatient Departments, Lead researcher
Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Hospitals and clinics, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS)

Cost of Ambulance Transports for Low-Volume Providers in Rural Areas and Its Implications for Medicare Reimbursement Policy, Lead researcher
Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Health care financing, Health policy, Medicare

Do We Need a Rural Payment Differential Under the Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule?, Lead researcher
Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Health care financing, Medicare

Financial Impact of Outpatient Payment Reform on Rural Hospitals, Lead researcher
Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health care financing, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS)

Recent History of Federal Funding for EMS in the United States, Lead researcher
Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Health care financing, Health services

Publications

• Establishing a Fair Medicare Reimbursement for Low-Volume Rural Ambulance Providers
  Author(s): Penny E. Mohr, C. Michael Cheng, Curt D. Mueller
  Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Health care financing, Medicare
  Date: 07 / 2001
  National study of ambulance transport costs looks at the advantages and disadvantages of several options for Medicare to compensate low-volume rural ambulance providers. Among its conclusions: many low-volume rural volunteer EMS providers will benefit from the new Medicare fee schedule; a volume-based premium offers a disincentive for small providers to grow and take advantage of economies of scale; and cost-based reimbursement for a select class of rural providers would not over- or under-pay vulnerable providers. Report available on request.
• Federal Funding for Emergency Medical Services
  Author(s): Penny E. Mohr, Julie A. Schoenman
  Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
  Topic: Emergency medical services (EMS)
  Date: 07 / 2002
  Includes recent trend data from 1994 to the present on aggregate Federal spending on EMS and funding targeted explicitly to rural areas. Also discusses the role various Federal agencies have played and traces the history of Federal legislation to support EMS programs. Activities funded under Title XII of the Public Health Service Act. Discussion of pending EMS-related legislation and future goals specified by the agencies included in the study. For a print copy of publications prior to 2004, please contact the Walsh Center at 301-951-5070.
• Quality of Medicare Outpatient Claims Data and Its Implications for Rural Outpatient Payment Policy
  Author(s): Penny E. Mohr
  Research center: Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
  Topic: Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS)
  Date: 12 / 2001
  Analyzes Medicare outpatient claims to see if relatively poor quality of small rural hospitals' claims data have amplified the negative effects of the new payment system on small hospitals. Compares three indicators of quality across urban, rural, and small rural hospitals: 1) proportion of claims with missing procedure codes, 2) proportion of claims with multiple procedures codes, and 3) proportion of "low-intensity" versus higher intensity evaluation and management or emergency room services. Finds no significant differences among urban, rural, and low-volume rural hospitals with respect to missing codes; urban hospitals were more likely to have multiple codes; and small rural hospitals were substantially more likely to submit low intensity claims. Study does not refute the possibility that undercoding played a role in CMS's forecasts of negative impact of the outpatient PPS for small rural hospitals. Report available on request.